Peroxiredoxins, gerontogenes linking aging to genome instability and cancer

Genes Dev. 2012 Sep 15;26(18):2001-8. doi: 10.1101/gad.200006.112.

Abstract

Age is the highest risk factor known for a large number of maladies, including cancers. However, it is unclear how aging mechanistically predisposes the organism to such diseases and which gene products are the primary targets of the aging process. Recent studies suggest that peroxiredoxins, antioxidant enzymes preventing tumor development, are targets of age-related deterioration and that bolstering their activity (e.g., by caloric restriction) extends cellular life span. This review focuses on how the peroxiredoxin functions (i.e., as peroxidases, signal transducers, and molecular chaperones) fit with contemporary theories of aging and whether peroxiredoxins could be targeted therapeutically in the treatment of age-associated cancers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aging / genetics*
  • Animals
  • Caloric Restriction
  • Enzymes / metabolism
  • Genome
  • Genomic Instability*
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Peroxiredoxins / genetics
  • Peroxiredoxins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Enzymes
  • Peroxiredoxins